Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 42
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
किल्बिषत्वं नरेन्द्राणां करिष्यसि नराधिप।यो दत्वा वरमद्यैव पुनरन्यानि भाषसे।।।।
kilbiṣatvaṃ narendrāṇāṃ kariṣyasi narādhipa |
yo datvā varam adyaiva punar anyāni bhāṣase || 2.12.42 ||
ਹੇ ਨਰਾਧਿਪ! ਅੱਜ ਵਰ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਫਿਰ ਹੋਰ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਬੋਲਿਆਂ ਤੂੰ ਰਾਜਧਰਮ ਉੱਤੇ ਦਾਗ ਲਿਆਵੇਂਗਾ।
O king, right now having given two boons, you are speaking otherwise. You are bringing blemish to kings (of the Ikshwaku race)
FAQs
A king’s dharma is inseparable from satya: reversing a granted boon is portrayed as a moral blemish that damages the very institution of kingship.
Kaikeyī argues that Daśaratha cannot retract or alter what he has already promised her.
Integrity and consistency in speech—especially for rulers whose words function as binding public commitments.